Automatic hog-feeder



F. J. PATTERSON.

AUTOMATIC HOG FEEDER.

APPLICATION F1LED AUGLS, 1918.

1 05,832. Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I,

avwma coz F. J. PATTERSON.

AUTOMATIC HOG FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9.1918.

1,305,32. Patentefl June 3,1919.

OFFICE.

FRANK J. PATTERSON, OF WAVERLY, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC HOG-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed August 9, 1918. Serial No. 249,109

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK J. PATTERSON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Waverly, in the county ofBremer and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful AutomaticHog-Feeder, of which the following is a specification.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel means wherebyfeed may be discharged automatically to swine or other animals, therebypreventing a wasting of the feed. Another object of the invention is toprovide novel means whereby the feed hopper may be assembled with theframework or body of the machine.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope ofwhat is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionshown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in side elevation, a feedingdevice constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being brokenaway, and parts appearing in section; Fig. 2 is a top plan, whereinparts are broken away; Fig. 3 is a cross section onthe line 33 of Fig.2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the means whereby the hopperis held as sembled with the base or frame.

The device forming the subject matter of this application includes aframe, made up "of longitudinal inner plates 1 and longitudinal outerplates 2 connected by end walls 3. Troughs 4 are located between theplates 1 and 2 and extend from one end wall 3 to the other. The troughs4 may be separated into compartments, by division plates 5.

A sinuous strip 6 is disposed between the plates 1, and extends from oneend wall 3 to the other end wall 3. The sinuous strip 6 defines aplurality of cross chutes 7.

The numeral 8 marks a hopper which may have a hinged top 9. The hoppermay be divided into parts, by division plates 10, cooperating with thedivision plates 5 in the troughs 4. The hopper 8 includes end walls 11having transverse grooves 12. The ends 15 of the sinuous strip 6 whichforms the chutes 7, are extended upwardly above the end walls 3 of theframe and are provided with outwardly extended flanges 14. The hopper 8may be slid into place, trans versely of the main frame, the flanges l4entering the grooves 12. In this way, the hopper will be held in placeagainst upward movement. One of the flanges 14 is supplied with a notchor keeper 16. There is an opening 17 in that end wall 11 of the hopper 8wherewith the aforesaid flange cooperates, the opening 17 being shownbest in Fig. 4. A latch 18 is locatedin the opening 17 and is pivotallysupported as shown at 19 on one of the end walls 11 of the hopper 8. Theouter end of the latch 18 may be swung upwardly by means of a retractilespring 20, attached at its upper end to the end wall 11 of the hopper 8,the construction being such that the inner end of the latch 18 will beswung downwardly, to engage in the notch or keeper 16, as will beunderstood clearly from Fig. 4. The hopper 8 cannot he slid transverselyof the main frame. when the latch 18 is engaged with the keeper or notch16, but it is possible to disengage the latch from the keeper, whereuponthe hopper may be slid off the base or main frame of the feeder. It isnot necessary that the hopper 8 be used, but when the hopper isemployed, the same is adapted to contain feed and to discharge the sameinto the cross chutes 7. If the'hopper 8 is omitted, then the feed willsimply be shoveled into the cross chutes 7, as occasion may demand.

A shaft 21 extends longitudinally of each of the cross chutes 7. At oneend, the shaft 21 is journaled, as shown at 22, in one of the innerlongitudinal plates 1. A casing 23 is attached to the oppositelongitudinal plate and has a hole 24 in its bottom, through which feedmay be discharged from the chut 7, into the trough 4. That end of theshaft 21 which is opposite to the end 22 1S journaled in the outer wallof the casing 23. Each shaft 21 carries a worm conveyer 25 operating inthe chute 7. The worm conveyers 25 on adjoining shafts 21 discharge inopposite directions into the respective troughs 4, a construction whichwill be understood readily when Fig. 2 of the drawings is compared withFig. 1. On the outer end of each shaft 21, a ratchet wheel 26 issecured. The ratchet wheel is operated by Copies ofithis' patent, may beobtained for means of a pawl 27, pivoted to an actuating membercomprising a vertical bar 28 and a transverse 'head 29, the head 29being located in the trough 4:. The bar 28 of the actu ating memberslides vertically in guides 30 constituting apart of a bracket 31,provided at'i'tsupp'er end with an outstanding arm 32. An adjustindevice such as a set screw 33, is threaded 1nto the arm 32, andcooperates wi-th the upper end of the bar 28 of the actuating member, ina way which will be described hereinafter.

In practical operation, feed is shoveled into the crosschutes 7 or isdeposited thercin from the hopper 8. An animal eating out of one of thetroughs 4 may raise the actuating member, the snout of the animal beingengagedagainst the head '29 of the actuating 'member. In this way, theactuating member will be raised, the bar 28 sliding upwardly in theguides 30. When the actuating member'is raised, the pawl 27 rotates theratchet wheel 26, and rotation is imparted tothe shaft 21, whereupon theworm conveyor 25 will advance a small quantity of feed; out ofthe crosschute 7, into the casing 23, and out of the casing 23 into the trough4:, through the hole 24. In this way, small, predetermined quantities offeed will be advanced, as the feed in the trough et is eaten away, andthe waste of'feed will be inappreciable. The setscrew 33 whichcooperates with the upper end of the bar 28 limits the upward movement.of the actuating member, and limits, consequently, the throw ot the pawl27 and the amount of. feed which is discharged at each upward stroke ofthe actuating member. member tends to move downwardly, by gravity, intothe position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the downwardmovementof-the actuating member being limited by means of.

a cross pin 34:, inserted. through. the upper. end of the bar 28 ofthe.actuating member, and-adapted to cooperate with the uppermost guide 30.

The actuating 2. In a device of the class described, a 7

frame; a trough carried thereby; a cross chute mounted on the frame; anddischarging into the trough; a worm conveyer operating in the chute; abracket carried by the frame; an actuating member sl i dable in thebracket and comprising a part accessible to an animal eating out of thetrough; means mounted in the bracket and-adjustable therein, forlimiting the movement of the actuating member; a pawl carried by theactuating member; and a ratchet wheel-mounted on the worm conveyer andcoacting with the pawl.

3. In a device of the class described, a frame; a trough carriedthereby; a cross chute mounted on the frameandincluding a flange; ahopper disposed above the frame 7 and discharging into the chute, thehopper havinga groovereoeivingthe flange; a latch n the ppe nd e gaging;the flange; a onvey r Oper g. n, the chute; nd mean accessible to ananimal eating outrof; thev trough, for operating the conveyer.

I t mony at I l im. th r 9i as myown, I v e to a fi ed -myignature inthe presence of-twowitnesses,

FRANK J. PATTERSON;

Witnesses: c

O. O. RUNYABD, H. E. Monnnrno.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,I). 0.. I

